Mill Valley roughs up Bobcats

BLHS outscored 42-18 in the paint

With an 0-3 record, the Basehor-Linwood boys basketball team was looking for something positive to take into winter break. But Mill Valley was not in the mood to be a pick-me-up for the Bobcats on Tuesday.

The Jaguars pounded the ball inside for lay up after lay up and cruised to a 72-43 victory in Basehor-Linwood's most lopsided defeat of the season.

The Bobcats held Mill Valley's leading scorer, Jack Johnson to just three points, but that number was a bit deceptive. Johnson, who is primarily an outside shooter, wasn't needed much as the Jaguars enjoyed a 42-18 advantage in points in the paint. The main problem inside for the Bobcats was Mill Valley senior Kyle DeBerg, who is 6-foot-4 and built like a Division I defensive end.

"They've got a lot of experience over there inside," BLHS coach Mike McBride said. "When we've got a 6-6 sophomore who's 185 pounds (Jacob Schierbaum), it's going to be tough to play against a senior for four quarters. My coaches asked me, 'are we just out of shape?' and I said, 'no, they're just stronger than us; they're just going to wear you down when you play that type of team. We're probably still another year away from beating a team like that."

This year the Bobcats were able to stick with the Jaguars for basically one half. They trailed at halftime just 35-28, which was a bit of an accomplishment considering their leading scorer, Austin Knipp, had an off night and finished with just seven points. The Bobcats opened the half with aggressive pressure defense, but Mill Valley thwarted it quickly.

The Jaguars opened the half with a 10-0 run that included three straight lay-ups from DeBerg. That effectively took the wind out of Basehor-Linwood's sails and took the Bobcats out of the game. The Jaguars would finish the third quarter with a 55-30 lead.

The lone bright spot in the game for the Bobcats was senior Garrett Chumley, who scored a season-high 10 points on 3-5 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from the free-throw line. Chumley also showed some fight defensively, mixing it up with Mill Valley's Michael Mahan to the point where a double foul was assessed against the two of them.

But, after the first half, the Bobcats pretty much went quietly. Jacob Schierbaum had 11 points, but four were in the final minutes against Mill Valley's mop-up team. He also led the Bobcats with five rebounds. Chandler Schaake led the team with four assists and Knipp and James Bishop added three apiece.

All in all, it was a game the Bobcats would rather forget, but they'll have to stew on it for all of winter break. Fortunately, since the contest was postponed from an earlier date, the break won't be as long as it usually is.

"I think for these guys it'll probably be better," McBride said of the shorter break. "For the simple fact that they'll be ready to get after it after this game."

The Bobcats don't play again until Tuesday, Jan. 3, when they're at Pembroke Hill.